Committee on Education and Labor : U.S. House of Representatives

Press Releases

Chairman Miller Announces New Hires, Promotions to Education and Labor Committee Staff

Thursday, July 3, 2008

 

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today announced new hires and changes to the Democratic staff of the committee.

“I’m pleased to announce these talented new additions to the staff of the Education and Labor Committee,” said Miller.  “I know that they will be able to continue the important work that the committee does to improve the lives of our nation’s schoolchildren, students, workers, and families.”

Rachel Racusen, 25, was promoted to Communications Director for the Committee. Racusen has worked for the Committee since February of 2006, serving most recently as Deputy Communications Director and the primary spokeswoman for the committee’s education work. Prior to joining the Committee, she worked at Dittus Communications, a public affairs firm specializing in crisis communications. In 2004, she worked as a field organizer for the South Carolina Democratic Party’s coordinated campaign for Inez Tenenbaum for Senate. Racusen is a native of Boston, and graduated from Union College in 2004 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.

Jeff Appel, 45, joined the Committee as Senior Education Policy Advisor/Investigator in February 2008. He had been working with the Committee since February 2007 while on detail from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), where he had been employed for 23 years.  As an Assistant Director in GAO’s Education, Workforce, and Income Security group, Appel was responsible for managing much of the GAO’s research concerning student aid and other postsecondary education issues since 2000.  Prior to 2000, he worked on a number of other federal policy issues at GAO, including K-12 education, labor, national service, and environmental issues.  Appel, a native of Coolidge, Arizona, received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Finance from the University of Arizona and a Master of Arts in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Fred Jones, 24, joins the Committee as a Staff Assistant for Education Policy.  Jones worked in six different areas of public affairs as a Coro Fellow in New York City prior to joining the Committee.  Jones interned for the Department of Health and Human Service, the Mayor’s Office in New York City, and the United Federation of Teachers.  He graduated from Tufts University in 2007 as a Political Science major and is a native of Greenfield, Massachusetts

Meredith Regine, 23, was promoted to Junior Legislative Associate for Labor Policy.  Previously she served as a Staff Assistant for the Committee.  Prior to joining the Committee, Regine worked as a field organizer for the Sheldon Whitehouse Senate campaign and at Capitol Solutions Government Relations, LLP.  She also interned in the Washington office of Senator Jack Reed (D-RI).  Regine is a native of Middletown, Rhode Island and has her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Florida State University.  She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Political Management from the George Washington University.

James Schroll, 23, joins the Committee as a Staff Assistant after interning with the Committee during the summer of 2007.  Previously, Schroll interned with Jefferson Government Relations and worked as a staffer on the Democratic Coordinated Campaign, which helped elect Governor Tim Kaine in 2005.  Schroll, a native of Charlottesville, Virginia, is a 2008 graduate from the University of Mary Washington with a degree in Political Science.

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